Held Ball Player Control

[BillyMac]

During a “junior varsity” middle school (yes, we have them) girls game yesterday, I asked the site director (in this case the home team head coach) to have a fan removed. The fan was extremely loud (could not be ignored) and obnoxious while complaining about “rough play” and “someone‘s going to get hurt” (no profanity) while I was calling a held ball with severe but legal “action” (with both, one much stronger, “wrestling” for the ball).

The head coach cooperated and ejected the fan. By coincidence, the girls high school head coach happened to be at the site and escorted the fan out of the gymnasium.

I’ve got pretty thick skin; it was only the second time in forty-five years that I had asked a site director to have a fan removed.

On the ride home I was reflected on this play and came up with some questions not directly about this play.

These are questions about “player control”, specifically “holding the ball”, immediately prior to, or during, held ball situations.

1) A1 is dribbling in his frontcourt and loses the” handle” on the ball and it bounces away for him on the floor. A2 and B2 simultaneously pick the ball off the floor, both having two (yeah, I know the new rule) hands solidly on the ball. They “wrestle” for possession. Neither player moves a pivot foot. Before a whistle for a held ball, do either, or both, A2 and/or B2 have player control? Did Team A ever actually lose team control? Did Team B ever gain team control?

2) A1 shoots a try for goal that misses and rebounds. A2 and B2 simultaneously grab the rebounded ball, both having two (yeah, I know the new rule) hands solidly on the ball. They “wrestle” for possession. Neither player illegally moves a pivot foot. Before a whistle for a held ball, do either, or both, A2 and/or B2 have player control? Does either, or both, Team A and/or Team B have team control?

Can two opposing players both have player control (holding the ball) at the same time? Can two teams both have team control at the same time?

Add to these questions the complication of a timeout being requested, a request only granted to the team with player control (holding the ball).

3) A1 shoots a try for goal that misses and rebounds. A2 and B2 simultaneously grab the rebounded ball both having two hands solidly on the ball. They “wrestle” for possession. Before a held ball is whistled, A2 illegally moves his pivot foot while B2 does not illegally move his pivot foot. Did A2 travel?